It's nearly four months now since the two Telugu news channels – TV9 and ABN Andhra Jyothy, have been banned, but the Telangana government headed by K Chandrasekhar Rao, continues to remain stubborn and has not been showing any kind of sympathy.
As a result, situation has reached such a stage that people, except those having DTH facility, have more or less forgotten the two channels.
Now, the channels have no option but to look up to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is in power at the Centre. But, the Centre, too, has not been able to do anything despite the fact that Union Information Minister Prakash Javdekar has promised to take some action.
Every day, the channel staff has been resorting to dharnas and hunger strikes to bring pressure on the political parties and the government. The parties are expressing solidarity but are not able to do anything.
On Monday, too, BJP floor leader in Telangana Assembly Dr K Laxman visited Indira Park where journalists staged a dharna against stopping telecasts of two Telugu TV channels.
The BJP legislator expressed solidarity with agitating journalists. He recalled that his party raised the issue in Parliament and even a Union minister issued a warning to MSOs in this regard. But the State government failed to take action in this regard, he added.
MLC Nageshwar said nobody has any right to crush and gag the the media. He also expressed his solidarity with the journalists after visiting dharna camp at Indira Park.
“Democratic system would be in peril in the absence of the media”, he added. The government should take immediate measures to restore telecasts of channels which were stopped by MSOs, he demanded.
